REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT SERVICES

Helping refugees and immigrants successfully integrate into their new communities.

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Client Story

A new life is rising in Portland as a young woman from Afghanistan builds confidence and a path to her dreams

At just 21 years old, Razima* is creating a future once out of reach. After arriving in Portland from Afghanistan in 2025 with her parents and six siblings, she entered a world filled with uncertainty and possibility.

Back home, opportunities for women to work or move independently are nearly nonexistent. Here, she is experiencing independence in its many forms.

This spring, Razima went to work at a commercial bakery, where she helped prepare dough, bake bread, and package finished products. Although the job felt overwhelming in the beginning, she took pride in her work and made friends with coworkers.

With support from LCSNW, Razima navigated early barriers that might have otherwise stalled her progress. Our coaching helped her complete onboarding requirements, orient to her role as an employee, adjust to demands of the job, and build confidence.

LCSNW’s Refugee and Immigrant program staff assisted Razima in ways that will serve her beyond the bakery job. They helped her renew expired identification, correct errors in her Social Security records, and renew her work authorization. She also received guidance preparing her resume and practicing interviews.

Razima’s goals are clear: save money, support her family, and one day purchase a home. Just as important, she values the independence she has gained—learning to drive, travel freely, and imagine a different future.

“There are many opportunities here,” she says. “I can go anywhere. I can continue.”

*Razima is not her real name.

21+

CLIENT LANGUAGES
SPOKEN

20+

COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN

Numbers are incomplete; not all clients are surveyed for language, nationality, race or ethnicity.

Staff Profile

Aziz Zaheer

Aziz knows what it means to start over. After arriving in the U.S. in 2018 through resettlement with LCSNW, he began volunteering as a language interpreter, helping newly arrived families navigate their first steps.

That role quickly grew into leading cultural orientation sessions, then into case management, and now into coordinating both donations and volunteers who support refugee families every day in the Puget Sound area.

His work is rooted in personal experience. Having fled danger in Afghanistan, Aziz understands the uncertainty families face when leaving everything behind in search of safety. That perspective shapes how he approaches his work, with empathy, care, and a deep commitment.

“It’s rewarding to be part of a team that’s focused on helping people feel supported and welcomed from day one,” said Aziz, who works out of LCSNW’s Tacoma resettlement office based inside a Lutheran church.

On any given day, Aziz may organize furniture deliveries, connect with donors, or prepare an apartment before a family arrives. His focus is simple but powerful: making sure each space feels like home from the moment a family walks in. Beds, tables, and kitchen supplies become more than basic items. They represent comfort, stability, and a fresh start.

One moment that stays with him is watching children jump onto a couch in excitement after arriving at their new home. In another, a student received a donated laptop that opened new opportunities for education. Every donation and every volunteer helps families move from uncertainty to belonging.

REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT CLIENTS
(Tacoma, Vancouver, Portland)

309

REFUGEE COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN

6

Volunteer Profile

Kinza Schuyler

Navigating the immigration system can be overwhelming, beyond simply starting a new life far from home. Immigrants come to the U.S. in search of safety, stability, and a chance to rebuild.

That’s where dedicated LCSNW volunteers like Kinza Schuyler make all the difference.

As a Department of Justice Accredited Immigration Representative, Kinza offers critical guidance to refugees and immigrants facing a maze of paperwork, deadlines, and legal uncertainty. With a thorough understanding of policy and a deep well of compassion, Kinza strives to help her clients go “from adversity to success.”

Kinza found her passion for immigration through her work as Director of Operations for a small non-profit on the East Coast before moving to Seattle in the early 2000s. She volunteered for LCSNW for 2 ½ years before being hired to lead our immigration program in Seattle.

In 2017, Kinza transitioned back to volunteering for Immigration Services at the SeaTac office. Since then, she has been a champion for her clients and believes that “when someone has nothing, the least you can do is honor them, respect them.”

She sees her work as a puzzle that needs solving, and she strives to make it work for the person sitting in front of her.

“Nothing makes you feel better than helping others,” Kinza said about volunteering.